Pink A frame brackets, pair

These are the two corners that turn five pieces of lumber into an A frame. The sleeves take a 5.5 by 3.5 inch top beam and 3.5 by 3.5 inch legs. Slide the wood in, drill through the cast openings with the timber still low on the grass, then run the bolts down with a wrench.

Galvanized iron body

The brackets are galvanized iron under the paint, which is why they weigh what they weigh. The coating sheds sprinkler spray and rain instead of letting the metal bloom orange down the posts.

Sized to dressed lumber

The top sleeve is cut for a 5.5 by 3.5 inch beam and the four leg pockets for 3.5 by 3.5 inch stock. Measure what the yard actually sold you before you buy, because nominal sizes and real sizes are not the same thing.

Twenty-eight bolts in the box

Bolts and washers come in the carton, twenty-eight of each. You supply the lumber, a drill with a bit that matches, and a socket wrench to pull everything tight.

Beam first, legs after

Fit the top beam into both brackets while it is still lying down, mark and drill through the openings, then slide the four legs in and stand the frame up. Doing it in the other order means wrestling a tall A frame on your own.

Hangers are separate

This carton holds the two corners and the hardware. Swing hangers, chain and seats are their own items, so pick the hangers to match the finish if you want the frame to read as one piece.

Anchoring the frame